KO2’s client is an international, cutting-edge software engineering consultancy. They provide innovative solutions to some of the world’s most challenging system engineering challenges, across a range of industry sectors including Automotive, IoT, Meditech, Finance and Industrial Automation. With their office based in Central Manchester, just a short walk from Manchester Piccadilly station they are easily commutable by public transport from large parts of the Northwest region.

They are looking for software infrastructure engineer whose focus will be designing and delivering the infrastructure that enables them to deliver their technology stacks to customers.

Your key responsibilities:

• Support and enable the software engineering teams through delivery of scalable and distributed infrastructure able to be run in cloud and in on-prem contexts.
• Provide input to and evaluation of infrastructure technology choices.
• Be part of and/or support the infrastructure teams to deliver and operate solutions to customers in highly regulated environments.
• Mentoring software infrastructure engineers and helping to curate internal training and development programmes.

We are looking for candidates with the following experience:

• Strong Linux and Git skills
• Proven production experience deploying and managing infrastructure on at least one major Cloud Service provider, using tooling such as Terraform.
• Hands-on production experience developing, deploying, and operating Kubernetes clusters; experience running this on OpenStack is an advantage.
• Confident provisioning and deploying to bare-metal instances using tooling such as Ansible.
• Solid operational expertise in managing production environments, with knowledge of methodologies such as SRE considered a plus.
• A genuine interest in, and ideally hands-on involvement with, FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) communities and/or projects.

Apply today for this exciting, new opportunity within Software Infrastructure.

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KO2 is recruiting a Software Test Engineer (V&V) on behalf of a fast-growing medical device client based in Manchester, currently progressing a market ready device through FDA 510(k) approval. Following a recent increase in testing and documentation requirements, they need an experienced V&V engineer to take full ownership of test activity as the sole test resource on site.

This is a hands-on, standalone role. You’ll be working directly with the device hardware, so onsite presence three days a week is essential.

Key responsibilities

• Develop verification and validation test specifications from the device’s design history file, requirements and specifications
• Break high-level design/test requirements down into detailed sub-tests, test protocols and expected outcomes
• Execute and record verification/validation testing in line with relevant standards and processes
• Feed results back to the development team and support resolution of any non-conformances
• Design software test plans in compliance with IEC 62304 and FDA documentation standards
• Instrument and execute unit, module, integration and regression tests based on software design specifications
• Work closely with Quality and Regulatory colleagues to ensure testing supports the technical file

Essential skills & experience

• Strong experience of V&V activities within an embedded software environment
• Embedded software development background using C/C++, sufficient to understand and define module level tests
• Experience converting requirements into structured test cases and procedures
• Experience working with medical devices running embedded software
• Working knowledge of IEC 62304 and ISO 13485
• Good understanding of the full software engineering lifecycle
• Scripting ability
• Able to work independently and self-manage a standalone testing function

Desirable

• Knowledge of IEC 60601 and/or ISO 14971

Contract details

• 6 month initial contract, with potential to extend
• 3 days per week onsite in Manchester
• Up to £425 per day, Outside IR35

Get in touch with Chris Oddy at KO2 to discuss or apply.

The post Software Test Engineer – Medical Devices (Contract) appeared first on KO2 Recruitment.

£50,000 to £60,000

How do you know the products you use are safe? In most cases, the answer is product compliance. In hazardous industries such as oil and gas, chemical and pharmaceutical, it is compliance engineers who make sure electronic equipment can operate in explosive atmospheres without becoming the ignition source. This role puts you at the centre of that work.

KO2’s client is a long-established, global manufacturer of electronic products used in hazardous area and process industry applications worldwide. Their UK R&D centre designs intrinsically safe equipment, devices that limit electrical energy entering Zone 0, 1 and 2 environments so that a fault can never release enough energy to cause an explosion.

The opportunity to step up

This is a succession role. The company’s current compliance engineer, a highly respected specialist, retires at the end of next year, and the business wants their successor in place well ahead of that. Depending on your start date, you could have a year or more working directly alongside them, learning the products, the standards landscape and the relationships with certifying bodies before taking full ownership of the role.

That makes this a genuine opportunity for someone to step up. You do not need to be the finished article. The client will consider engineers earlier in their compliance career, or engineers from design, test or EMC backgrounds who have worked with standards and want to specialise, provided you have a real aptitude for reading and interpreting them. You will not be isolated either. You will sit within the R&D team, work closely with a counterpart compliance engineer in Europe, and be part of an international network of standards experts across the wider group.

What you will be doing

• Implementing and organising Ex approvals such as ATEX and IECEx, alongside electrical safety standards
• Determining which standards and legal requirements apply to new and existing products
• Reviewing electrical schematics and R&D designs against the relevant standards, and guiding design engineers on compliance from the start of a project
• Producing critical safety documentation to certification standard
• Reviewing existing products against current international approvals and initiating updates where needed
• Selecting, managing and negotiating with external certifying bodies and inspection organisations, both in the UK and internationally

There is no customer site travel in this role. Beyond occasional short-term international trips, including standards expert meetings held every couple of years, you will be based at the R&D centre and at home.

What you will need

• A degree in engineering, physics or another analytical subject
• A sound grasp of electronics fundamentals, for example how transistors and Zener diodes behave in a circuit
• Genuine interest in reading, interpreting and debating standards, this is the heart of the role
• Strong attention to detail and a structured, well-documented way of working
• The confidence to negotiate and hold your ground with certification bodies and senior engineers

Experience with ATEX, IECEx, LVD, EMC or UKCA is valuable but not essential. Attitude and aptitude matter more than a perfect CV match.

Why this role

Compliance sign-off carries real seniority here. Nothing ships without it, and the role is respected accordingly across R&D and the wider business. You will become the UK authority on hazardous area compliance for a profitable, stable, global manufacturer, with a long structured handover from the person who currently holds that position.

To apply or for a confidential conversation about the role, contact KO2 Embedded Recruitment Solutions.

The post Product Compliance Engineer appeared first on KO2 Recruitment.

Salary up to £50,000 DOE

KO2 is working with an exciting medtech startup based in Manchester, who are now on the lookout for an Embedded Software Engineer to join their growing team. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a dynamic business at a pivotal moment in its growth, working on prototype medical devices that have the potential to make a real impact in the medical technology landscape.

This is a chance to join a startup at a pivotal stage of growth, working on technology that could genuinely change lives. If you’re driven by innovation, enjoy working hands-on across software and hardware, and want to make a tangible impact in medtech — this is the role for you.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain STM32-based control software and firmware drivers
• System integration and integration testing to ensure interoperability between STM32-based hardware and control software
• Develop and maintain a secondary software module based on ESP32 running FreeRTOS
• Electronics fault-finding on the existing STM32-based electronics platform
• Carry out minor updates to the existing electronics platform as identified during fault-finding
• Conduct unit testing, participate in code reviews, and support the software validation process
• Adhere to the company’s software development lifecycle processes
• Collaborate with a cross-functional team to create and build prototype medical devices

What You’ll Need

• Strong experience developing embedded software using C and C++
• Familiarity with STM32 and ESP32 microprocessors
• Experience with FreeRTOS
• Familiarity with schematic design and PCB layout software (e.g. Altium, KiCad, Eagle)
• Experience with electronics fault-finding on multi-board controller systems
• Hands-on experience performing PCB schematic modifications, updates, and fixes
• Strong written communication skills

Nice to Have

• Previous experience on medical device projects
• A relevant degree in Electronic Engineering or Software Engineering
• Experience working within a QMS environment, and/or exposure to regulatory standards such as ISO 62304 and ISO 60601

For more information or to apply, get in touch with KO2 Embedded Recruitment Solutions.

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Location: Manchester + Hybrid Working From Home
Salary: Up to £57,000 DOE + Benefits

KO2’s client is seeking a Software Engineer to join their established engineering team based in Manchester. This is an excellent opportunity for a software developer who enjoys solving technical challenges, working within a collaborative environment, and continuously developing their skills.

The role is particularly suited to engineers who have experience developing software for real-world products, embedded systems, or environments where performance, efficiency, and resource management are important considerations.

KO2’s client has a proven track record of supporting engineers from a range of technical backgrounds and helping them develop new skills whilst working on innovative products.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and maintain high-quality software solutions.
• Develop software that forms part of real-world products and systems.
• Collaborate with engineers and stakeholders to deliver reliable and efficient solutions.
• Participate in code reviews and contribute to software architecture and design discussions.
• Investigate, troubleshoot, and resolve technical issues.
• Support continuous improvement of development processes and engineering best practices.

What KO2’s Client Is Looking For

Essential

• Commercial experience in object-oriented software development.
• Strong understanding of software engineering principles and development practices.
• Experience with programming language such as C#, C, C++
• Microsoft Visual Studio & git version control.
• Experience working on software that interacts with hardware, physical products, industrial systems, or embedded platforms, or a genuine interest in moving into this type of environment.
• Understanding of performance optimisation, efficient memory usage, or development within resource-constrained environments.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively within a team.

Desirable

• Experience with embedded software development.
• Experience working within memory-constrained or performance-critical systems.
• Experience with C# and .NET technologies.
• Fieldbus, industrial Ethernet protocols, MQTT
• Knowledge of modern software development methodologies.
• Exposure to electronics, industrial automation, instrumentation, IoT, or other product-development environments.

The Person

KO2’s client values attitude, curiosity, and a willingness to learn just as highly as technical capability. They are open to candidates from a variety of backgrounds, including embedded systems, industrial software, games development, and other engineering disciplines.

The ideal candidate will enjoy understanding how software interacts with real products and systems and will be motivated by solving complex technical problems. They will be someone who embraces learning opportunities and can grow within a supportive engineering team.

What’s On Offer

• Hybrid working, combining home working with time in the Manchester office.
• A supportive and collaborative engineering environment.
• Exposure to technically challenging projects and real-world products.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Ongoing mentoring and professional development opportunities.
• Long-term career progression within a growing business.

Apply

If you’re a Software Engineer with experience of, or an interest in, embedded systems, real-world products, or resource-constrained environments, and you’re looking for a role where your potential is valued as highly as your current experience, KO2’s client would be keen to hear from you.

The post Software Engineer – C++, C and/or C# appeared first on KO2 Recruitment.

KO2’s client, an innovative and fast-growing technology company, is looking for an Embedded Software Engineer to join their expanding team based in Blackburn.
This is a fantastic opportunity for an engineer with 3+ years commercial embedded software experience who is keen to work on cutting-edge products and contribute to the development of new technologies and integrations.

Key Responsibilities:
• Embedded software development using C
• Working with TI MSP430 and STM32 microcontrollers
• Bare-metal embedded programming
• Enhancing and maintaining existing codebases
• Adding new features and improving system functionality
• Collaborating closely with hardware engineers and understanding hardware design considerations

The successful candidate will play a key role in enhancing and maintaining the existing embedded software codebase, while also contributing to the development of new features and functionality across a growing product range. You’ll also gain exposure to a proprietary wireless communication protocol, making adaptability and a willingness to learn essential for success in the role.

With a strong focus on rapid product development, the company consistently brings new products to market, offering engineers the chance to work on varied and technically challenging projects in a fast-paced environment.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a dynamic engineering team where you’ll gain hands-on experience across the full product lifecycle while contributing to innovative embedded systems projects.

The role offers a salary of up to £45,000 alongside the opportunity to grow your career within a supportive and forward-thinking environment.
If you’re passionate about embedded technology and looking for your next challenge, KO2’s client would love to hear from you.

Apply today to take the next step in your embedded software engineering career.

The post Embedded Software Engineer appeared first on KO2 Recruitment.

Chester Area

Up to £65,000 + Bonus

KO2’s client is a well-established, employee-owned consultancy that designs bespoke embedded electronic products for a wide range of applications. With a strong reputation for delivering high-quality engineering solutions, they combine in-house product development with custom design work, giving engineers the chance to work on varied, technically challenging projects across the full lifecycle.

They are now looking for a Mid to Senior Electronics Engineer with strong embedded software experience to join their growing team.

This is a hands-on role sitting right at the hardware–software boundary. You’ll be involved in everything from schematic capture and PCB design through to board bring-up and embedded C development, working on complex embedded systems including microcontroller and application processor-based designs.

What you’ll be doing:

• Designing analogue and digital electronics, including PCB layout
• Bringing up new hardware and debugging at board level using embedded software
• Developing embedded C code to support hardware validation and functionality
• Working across the full product lifecycle, from concept through to production
• Contributing to a range of projects, including next-generation embedded and IoT-style systems

What they’re looking for:

• A well-rounded electronics engineer with solid embedded software skills
• Strong experience in analogue and digital design
• Confidence with board bring-up and debugging using embedded C
• Experience with common interfaces such as SPI, I²C, UART, CAN
• Comfortable working with microcontrollers (e.g. ARM Cortex-M) and ideally application processors
• Someone adaptable and capable of picking up new technologies (e.g. Linux, FPGA, or higher-level software where required)

Desirable experience:

• Embedded Linux or RTOS experience
• Mains-powered design / power supply experience
• Experience with single board computer or similar embedded platforms
• Exposure to production or manufacturing environments

Why join KO2’s client?

This is an opportunity to join a collaborative, engineering-led environment where you’ll work on genuinely interesting products rather than narrow, siloed tasks. Engineers here are involved in real problem-solving, not just incremental changes.

The business offers a unique and highly attractive working pattern:

• Every other Friday off
• Early finish at 1pm on the alternate Friday

They are also employee-owned, which means you benefit directly from the company’s success.

This includes:

• A profit-related bonus, with up to £3,600 per year tax-free
• The opportunity to receive free shares and purchase additional shares in the business

Additional benefits include:

• Private medical insurance
• Competitive holiday allowance, increasing with service
• A supportive, non-corporate culture focused on quality engineering rather than long hours

This role is based on-site, reflecting the hands-on nature of the work, particularly around hardware development and lab-based testing.

If you’re an engineer who enjoys working across both electronics and embedded software, and you want to be part of a business where your work genuinely makes an impact, this is well worth exploring.

The post Electronics Engineer appeared first on KO2 Recruitment.

KO2 is working with one of its clients, a global engineering business that designs and develops access control systems used in the retail banking sector, alongside high-security safes and vaults for private banks throughout the world.

Due to the upcoming retirement of the current Compliance Manager, the business is seeking an experienced individual to take ownership of product compliance and verification activities across its product range. A full handover will be provided, and the company is committed to training and developing the successful candidate as part of a long-term succession plan.

This is a key role within the organisation, managing the verification function and ensuring products meet regulatory requirements and third-party certification standards.

Role Overview
As Compliance Manager, you will lead the verification and approvals function, ensuring all new and existing products meet relevant standards and certifications. The role involves extensive third-party testing, ongoing certification renewals, and close collaboration with R&D and external test houses.

This position would suit an established Compliance Manager or a technically strong individual from an electronics or embedded systems background looking to step into management.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage a team of verification technicians and engineers (5 direct reports)
• Plan and prioritise verification activities, including in-house EMC testing
• Own product approval and re-approval processes
• Define and manage third-party testing and certification strategies
• Maintain certifications, approvals, and technical documentation
• Review test reports and resolve technical queries and non-conformances
• Liaise with external test houses and certification bodies
• Monitor regulatory requirements across all regions of operation
• Communicate compliance and approval status to senior management
• Maintain Declarations of Conformity, Declarations of Performance, and Technical Construction Files
• Ensure internal test facilities are calibrated and fit for purpose
• Work in line with ISO9001 Quality Management Systems

The Environment
You will work closely with a well-established Research & Development team of over 30 engineers, based in a purpose-built facility in Lancashire, focused on developing new and improved electronic products.

Skills & Experience

• Experience in a compliance, verification, or approvals role
• Strong knowledge of standards such as BS EN 54, EN 50131, EMC, LVD, RED, ROHS and REACH
• Experience working with third-party test houses and certification bodies
• Background in electronics or embedded systems preferred
• Strong organisational, communication, and people management skills

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in an engineering discipline
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a similar role
• Management experience preferred, or readiness to step into management
• Legal right to work in the UK

What’s on Offer

• Salary £45,000 – £60,000
• Permanent role based in Wigan
• Full handover and structured training
• Private healthcare
• Long-term career development within a growing engineering business

Apply today for immediate consideration.

The post Compliance Manager appeared first on KO2 Recruitment.

Salary: Up to £60,000

Location: 4 days remote, 1 day per week in the Burnley office

About the company

KO2’s client designs and delivers remote sensor technology for automotive applications. The business works with large volumes of data collected from multiple sources and uses cloud-based platforms to turn that data into meaningful insights for internal teams and customers.

The role

KO2 are looking for a Data Engineer to join a growing technical team. This role will focus on building, maintaining and improving data pipelines that bring together data from a range of internal systems, external APIs and cloud environments. You will work closely with colleagues who consume the data, ensuring it is reliable, well structured and fit for purpose.

This is a hands on role with a mix of data engineering, cloud infrastructure and light DevOps responsibilities. You will have the opportunity to help tidy up and standardise existing solutions, migrate or replace legacy components, and implement best practices across the data platform.

Key responsibilities

• Designing, building and maintaining data pipelines in AWS
• Combining and transforming data from multiple sources into usable datasets
• Writing and maintaining production-quality Python code
• Working with databases and data storage solutions
• Improving existing pipelines through standardisation and best practices
• Supporting CI/CD and infrastructure work, including CloudFormation and related tools
• Taking ownership of solutions and validating that outputs make sense from a data and business perspective

Required experience

• Strong Python programming experience is essential
• Hands-on cloud experience is essential, ideally AWS
• Experience working with databases and data-driven systems
• Background in data engineering, analytics engineering or a closely related role
• Ability to understand data logic and question results, not just move data from A to B

Desirable experience

• AWS services for data engineering
• CI/CD and DevOps tooling
• Infrastructure as code, such as CloudFormation
• Experience with Azure or GCP is acceptable if you can demonstrate the ability to transfer skills to AWS

The ideal candidate

You will have a solid foundation in data engineering and cloud technologies and be keen to continue developing your skills. You may not tick every box, but you will be curious, proactive and comfortable learning new tools where needed. Attitude, problem-solving ability and long-term fit are as important as existing technical skills

Location and working pattern

This role is remote-first, with four days per week working from home and one day per week in the Burnley office. The in-office day is typically Tuesday and is an important part of team collaboration. Candidates should be within a reasonable commuting distance to make weekly attendance sustainable.

Salary

Up to £60,000 depending on experience, with flexibility for candidates who meet the majority of requirements.

Apply today with an up to date CV for immediate consideration.

The post Data Engineer appeared first on KO2 Recruitment.

Location: Manchester

Salary: Up to £70,000 DOE + Benefits

Are you an experienced Embedded Software Engineer looking to take your career to the next level? Join our clients innovative Manchester-based team, where you’ll help shape the next generation of embedded software solutions used across high-performance systems used around the globe.

What You’ll Be Doing

You’ll play a key role in designing, developing, and optimising embedded applications across a range of embedded and Linux-based platforms. Working alongside talented engineers, you’ll help build robust, efficient systems that power real-world products.

Skills and Experience Required:

• Solid, hands-on experience in embedded systems
• Strong C or C++ skills within embedded environments
• Java development experience
• Knowledge of communication protocols including RS232, I2C, TCP/IP, and USB
• Strong analytical problem-solving abilities
• Ability to stay focused and effective under pressure

Desirable:

• Experience developing on Ubuntu and Windows environments
• Familiarity with Yocto or Buildroot
• Understanding of Linux kernel configuration
• Experience developing Java OpenJDK on embedded Linux platforms
• SAS Experience

Why Apply?

• Work with cutting-edge embedded technologies
• Be part of a collaborative, supportive engineering culture
• Opportunities for growth, training, and technical leadership
• Competitive salary + comprehensive benefits package

Apply today with an up-to-date CV and a member of the KO2 team will be in touch to progress your application.

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